"Have a nice day!" a middle aged woman said cheerfully as she saw the apologetic pair off with a bow of her own.
"Have a nithe day!" a child "effortlessly" repeated, toothily.
This four year old child is Kincho Mebuki, the future heir to the lost and found shop of Nerima. His mother, Reimi Mebuki, had sent off a ten year old Akane and her father, Soun with the training dummy she accidentally sent flying in a fit of anger, into the Mebuki family house.
"Someone's getting an early start!" The mother pat her child's head before heading behind the counter of the small, shack like shop.
"wun day i will make this shop tha gweatest!" He declared to his mother and the world with confidence.
"Of course you will! and you will take the shop around the world with you!" she seemed to care more about Kincho traveling the world rather than the shops success.
"I will wule tha wurld!" he was adorably malicious with his words.
"Of course you will!" a ten year old Kincho had those words echo between the real world and his memories, he paused for a moment.
"Just leave it to me!" he had that faint, cheerful grin on his face as he did his kind salute and began searching immediately.
He enjoyed his work, more than people enjoy their hobbies. He would always find what he looked for and got ready to search for the next right after.
Normally he would have to return some panties scattered on the streets or find some stolen statue but this seemed to be different. now he had to find a fancy shirt, pretty ordinary, but he was as cheery as ever.
He greets many people on his short journey to the back of one person. Kincho fell to the ground and his head hurt a bit more than it should. Without looking up ,still rubbing his head, he apologizes "Yikes.. sorry about that" he chuckled slightly, still on the ground, hand held slightly up.
"Its alright." he walked off.
"Huh?" Kincho was stunned briefly normally other neighbors would go "Oh I'm fine Are you alright!?" but that feathered man didn't seem to care enough.
"H-Hey!" He shouted as loud as his soft voice could manage "can you help me up?"
The mans head snapped back as the feather flapped slightly, revealing a confused squint. "Your leg isn't hurt is it."
"Oh u-uh no..." he scratched his head, slightly embarrassed as he stumbled to his feet, clueless on how to continue. The man walked off again
He had the faintest slowed pace as he walked throughout the town for the lost clothes "Peach colored, very large sleeves, single golden butterfly" he closed his eyes and thought of it and when he opened them, they were in a tree. "Must've been that tornado the other day." He grabbed them and patted the leaves and twigs off ready to return the robe to the lady. It was gossamer -see through- and slightly shimmered with white specks, the golden butterfly on the right chest was scuffed just the slightest because of the tree it was caught in. It was so pretty, and gone!
A shadow skips from wall to wall "Its mine! Its mine!" it's shriveled old voice seemed happy.
"Wait i need to return that!" Kincho shouted as he gave chase to the best of his ability.
"Get lost brat!" The shadow speed up, vanishing at the next corner.
Kincho slid to a stop, Looking in every cardinal direction frantically to see if he was there "dang! what was that!?" he scanned every direction a second time while focusing an image in his head. Most times the image was vague -more like a tingle in a direction- but this time it was clear. "Over there?" he snapped in a seemingly random direction and began sprinting.
The shadowy figure stopped on a roof revealing none other than Happosai! He held the robe to the wind "I shall finally have my youth again!" ominous thunder cracked in the clear skies.
"Stop right there!" A finger pointed at him "Return that robe crook!"
"Crook!!" Happosai looked around frantically "Where!" he clenched the robe closely.
"You're the crook!" he poked Happosai so he couldn't mistake his "accusation"
"How dare you!" He began his crying song and dance which made Kincho hesitate for a second.
"Happo! Fire burst!" He tossed his bomb at Kincho who, panickily, swatted it into the nearby window.
*Boom*
Kincho flew off the side of the roof but caught himself on a tree "What a psycho!" He closed his eyes and ran in another direction.
Happosai hid in a bush "Good riddance! Now, my youth!" A dusty hand clenched the collar "Give it back! Crook!"
"What the!" Happosai used a bit of his aura to shove Kincho back "Never!" he blew a raspberry and zipped off. Hiding in a restaurant, he glanced around for the strange boy "Final-" but he was there! His toughest battle yet has arrived from beneath the table. He fled to the roof of a high rise building but Kincho found him again, and again, and again.
The highest highs to the lowest lows, in sewers and midnight clubs not yet open Happosai couldn't hide anywhere!
Not with the robe in his hand. "Fine then! take it!" Happosai clenched some sugar in one hand and charged at Kincho. In a mere moment Kincho found the robe on him "What t-" mph Happosai stuffed the sugar in Kincho's mouth and darted out of the restaurant
He tried to chase Happosai but his strides got shorter and shorter. The restaurant seemed to get larger, but it stopped after a while. His clothes were too large for him but the robe on his body turned into yellow overalls and a peach long sleeve shirt that glistened just the same.
"Where is that robe? And what are these clothes" he closed his eyes to search for the robe but he couldn't sense it anymore. "Guess ill tell her i lost it..." he looked around at the larger surroundings "What did he do to me?" the customers and employees stood there, mouths agape. Kincho chose to ignore it with a bow "Sorry for the confusion." His speech seemed to shock the crowd more, even as he left.
A small, four year old boy strolled through town. He turned corners like he knew where he was going without needing to watch- "HEY!- watch where you're going." a flaming man seemed to be a wall the child couldn't see. The man crouched down and showed reluctant "care" by scanning the boy for injuries "Nothing he can't walk off."
He began walking away, no issue there, just a child on his own. "Wait!" the child shouted "can you help me get home?"
"Well it is a kid." he thought, "No." Huh? Is that what he concluded? Strange.
"Please? it would take me forever to get there on my own! and i may get taken away!" The well spoken child seemed helpless without a guide, even though he seemed to be walking around just fine on his own.
"Fine." He tucked his feather snuggly in his hair and knelt down. "Hurry up and get on my shoulders."
"Really! thank you mister..." The kid practically jumped on his shoulders
"Ringo." he shifted the kid a bit for comfort
"Thank you!" he had a toothy smile "I'm Kincho Mebuki!"
"Is that so." a small grin crept up on Ringo but he held it down and the fire didn't burn the kid because it was tucked in his hair.
The walk was a bit slow cause the kid would always complain about his "shortcuts" being too dangerous. "Leaping over roofs and walls isn't dangerous right?" Ringo's thought was interrupted by a small growl.
"Uhm... do you have a snack?" Kincho muttered sheepishly
Ringo tried to ignore the child's needs but that growling wouldn't get any quieter. A slight rummage through the pockets and Ringo pulls out some salted peanuts "This is all i got so don't complain..."
The child ate eagerly accidentally putting crumbs in Ringo's hair. But it seems Kincho even put some weight on Ringo's shoulders.
"Hey kid..." Ringo's eyebrow twitched in irritation. But Kincho began snuggling his warm hair
"Hey! kid!" Ringo stopped abruptly, the added weight mad them sway back and forward.
"What is it Ringo?" the sudden breeze made Kincho clench tighter to Ringo's hair until Ringo lifts the boy from his shoulders. He places him on his feet as he glares down on the boy. Kincho could swear that he was now a bit taller, at the bottom of Ringo's chest, tall.
Ringo tapped his feet rapidly and rubbed his forehead with his thumb "Aren't you a little too old for piggy back?... And a little under-clothed"
"Huh?" Kincho tapped his body, save for the lack of the robe he searched for, or clothes in general, he transformed back into his ten year old body. "Oh-h, so there is this uh..."
Ringo was already around the corner "Good luck..." And like that, he was gone.
Kincho tried using his search ability but the image of Ringo was gone in a splash. Though there was no point anymore, it would be weird to chase after him, probably dangerous.
=
The day was over, and the moon just peaked above the horizon. Kincho used a cardboard box as cover while he made his way back to the shop "I'm back!" He held his head down, embarrassed, but ready for some type of scolding for is failure.
"Oh my! what happened?! You're naked!" The old lady exclaimed
"Some old man stole the robe and put it on me. and now its... gone." He bowed humbly after switching to some spare clothes.
"Oh... it's alright. it was just some old robe I'm too old to wear now." She patted his shoulder and handed him candy before leaving "Have a nice day, Kinchi-kun!"
He waved kindly before closing shop and heading home were his mother rested.